Apparatus for the handling and developing of motion picture films



March 4 c. BRYANT 2,313,319.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND DEVELOPING OF MOTION PICTURE; f'ILMS Filed J l 10, 1940 2 si eeis-sheet 1' 3 67 58 Y Y I as a! 4 42'" '43 43 44; 46

- v I I/NL/ENTDR 0 j 3 UL/NU BRYANT 'LITTURNE M rch 9, 1943. c. BiRYANT 2,313,319

APPARATUS FOR THE HANDLING AND DEVELOPING OF MOTION PICTURE FILMS Filed July 10, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- 3' 79 e 83 o I O Y 0 I: 0 p q 8 FIE-1.6. as 9 83 65 99 62 64 92 3 3 9r 0 l I09 H 88 77 I. '37-.. a 33 FE /El a 27 I A f h v I I6 o 3 I VD 24 .54 5 I as @l' lNL/E/VTUR au/vu BRYANT ATTURNE Patented Mar. 9, 1943 STATES.

NT" OFFICE APPARATUS FOR THE HANDLING AND DE- VELOPING OF MOTION PICTURE FILMS 1 Claim.

My present invention relates to an apparatus which may be employed for handling motion picture films during the developing and drying processes. Due to the length of a motion picture film, its tendency to stretch upon absorbing moisture during the developing, fixing and washing processes, and due to the fragility of the film during said processes, it becomes desirable to provide means for handling the film, which minimize as far as possible all strains upon the film and also permit the normal stretching and shrinking of the film during the developing and drying processes.

Itis an object of my invention to providea film handling device which will enable a single operator to handle the same, without the aid.- of light, except when light is desired, from the start of the developing processes to the conclusion of the washing process.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device which permits the normal expansion andcontraction of the film without placing any undue strains upon the same.

A further object of my invention is to. provide a simple and inexpensive film developing apparatus by which a minimum quantity of developing and fixing solutions will be required in connection with the processes of developing, fixing and washing of the film.

Other objects of my invention are to improve the means by which the motion picture film, in

the processes of developing, is moved from onechemical tray to another, ,or to and from a Washing solution without the necessity of moving any of said trays and thereby avoiding the loss of solution and injury to the film' caused by the slopping of the solutions from their respective trays.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan of the film developing apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said apparatus with the carriage track lowered.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation with the carriage track raised and with a drying reel placed in position to take the developed film.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken along the line 44' in Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken along the line 55 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a cross section taken along the line 66 in Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is a section taken along the line l'-l in Fig. 1.

Fig. 8. is a section taken along the line 5-8; in Fig.1.

Fig. 9, is a. front elevation of the, drying reel, 93.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary elevation of the, dry-'- ing reel along the line lEl-l-0 in Fig. 9;

No. I5 is a tank coveredwith a suitable-black acid resistant paint. and isv supported by side members. i6, i1, l8 and I9 and the end members 20, 2!, 22' and 2.3, and bottom slats 24 upon the pairs of legs 25 and 26'. At" one end of the tank there is an inlet 2.1 to. permit water to flow in through this tank to the outlet 28 which regulates the Water level Within the tank. Connected to the bottom of this tank is a drain 29 with the valve 30 for completely draining said tank through the pipe 3 I.

Within the tank are a number of chemical Y trays 32,. 33, 34 and 3.5 coated. with black acid resistant paint for holding chemicals used in the development of. the film. These trays are held in position by a numberof lugs 36 attached to the side of the tank.

The chemical trays are so constructed; as to permit the flow of water to contact their sides and bottoms, thus maintaining the chemicals within these trays at a constant determined temperature.

Secured to the legs 25 and 2t and riding vertically up and down on them are; the vertical supports 31', 33, 59 and 40, connected at their lower ends, by cross bars 41 and, 42 anchored thereto by means of plates 43, 44, 45 and 45. These plates overlap. the edges of the legsin a manner that allows them to rideup and' down on said legs. The upper ends of the members 31 and 3.8 support the cross member 31' and the members 3.9. and! support another cross member 48. These members 4? and 48 correctly space the two longitudinal'tracks 4.9 and'5il and. are rigidly attached thereto. The tracks49 and 5i! can be raised and lowered by an adjustable pulley and lever system composed of the pulleys 5!, 52 and 53. Threaded through these pulleys is a flexible wiresystem 54 complete with turn buckles 55, 56 and 5? for correctly controlling the lifting tension.

A piece of flexible Wire has one end attached to the cross bar. 4| and the other end connectedwith the lower portion of the turn buckle 51. Anotherpiece of flexible wire connected with the upper. portion'of the turn buckle 5! passes over the pulley 52' and connects with thelever: 58, then passes over the, pulley 5| and connects with one end of the turn buckle 55. Another piece of flexible wire connected with the otherend of the turn buckle 55 passes over the pulley 53 and connects with the upper end of the turn buckle 5B, and a similar piece of flexible wire is connected with the lower end of the turn buckle 56 and has the other end thereof attached to the cross bar 42. The cross bars 4| and 42 have springs 69 and El to maintain a proper tension and to assist in the riding of the track system to its lower position.

Riding on the tracks 49 and 59 is a carriage 62 which is supported by rollers 63 at all four corners, making the positioning of the carriage easy.

Centering in the journals 54 and 65 is the shaft 66 to which is attached the drum 67. To one end of this shaft is afifixed a large pulley wheel 68 which is driven by the endless belt 69. The other end of this belt is attached to the pulley which is in turn aflixed to the driving motor On the pulley wheel 68 are affixed two bumpers l2 and I3 centered behind the small shaft 14 on which journals the hammer 15.

When the pulley wheel 99 is in motion, the hammer '75 will be thrown against the bell 16, thus informing the operator that the wheel 68 is not slipping.

The motor is controlled by the switch 11 through the conduit 18. Also attached to the carriage 62 is a dark room type of shielded lamp 19 which can be moved to any horizontal position by its movable shaft 89, which in turn can be adjusted to any desirable height by a thumb screw 89.

Also attached to the carriage 62 is the shaft 8! upon which can be mounted a film reel 82. This film reel journals freely on said shaft BI and slides freely from one end 'to the other of said shaft.

To the end of the shaft 8! is attached a clothes pin or other suitable clamping device 83 which will keep the reel from coming off the end of the shaft. The drum 61 has a continuously ribbed surface 84 which properly spaces the film 85 as tached to a flexible spring 8! adapted to loop the hook 88 on the drum 61.

In actual operation, when the film is wound upon the drum, the spring 81 is stretched out to considerable length. This is done for the reason that the film undergoes a considerable stretching action when moistened and, as the drumis rotated carrying the periphery of the drum and the film through the developing solution, any stretching of the film is taken up along the surface of the drum toward the end which is attached to this spring, which compensates for the change in length of the film occurring during the process of developing.

In the practice of film developing, with this device, the film having been wound upon the drum with the track in its topmost position and holding said drum clear of the tank and trays, the drum can then be positioned at any place along this track and centered in that position by means of the bolt 89 which locks through any one of the five variously positioned angles 99 along the side of the track 59. In this manner it is easy to correctly center a drum with its film above any of the trays 32, 33, 34 and 35 or the central space 9! which is used for washing chem,- icals ofi of the film after its bath in one of the chemical trays. The whole assembly can then be lowered to its operating position.

Adjacent to the motor switch 11 is a small rotary switch 92 which controls light 19. There is also a reel 93 composed of fixed dowels 94 and movable dowels 95 which are retained within the elongated slots 96. Tension means at each end of the movable dowel 95 holds said dowel outward from the axis of said drum. This means as shown in Fig. 10 consists of an endless wire spring 9'! which loops under the movable dowel 95 adjacent the inner face of the reel side, extends over the outer circumference of said reel side and loops again under the outer end of the movable dowel 95. The tension of the wire spring 91 is exerted against the under side of the movable dowel 95. This is done to allow shrinkage of the drying film to be taken up against spring tension.

The reel 93 is mounted on a shaft 98 which in turn journals in the supports 99 mounted on the base I99 which can be placed across the track members 49 and 5B and held in position by the spacers l9! and I92.

I93 are radiating fins or vanes which are adapted to catch a directed current of air causing the reel 93 to revolve during the process of drying the film.

In using my improved film developing apparatus, a person Working alone in a dark room, and without the aid of artificial light, may readily attach the film for winding upon the drum by looping the flexible spring 81 over the hook 88 on the drum 61, wind the same upon the surface of said drum between the ribs 84, and attach the other end of the film to the surface of the drum with a piece of adhesive material, whereupon the drum may be quickly centered or located, over the desired tray and lowered to its position for developing so that a portion of the drums surface and the film thereon will be submerged in the developing solution. The rotation of the drum causes all portions of the film, in order of sequence, to be so submerged and thereby guarantees a complete and uniform development of the film.

In Fig. 3, the reel 93 is shown positioned upon the carriage track a short distance from the drum 6'! and in position so that the film after going through the various developing and washing processes may be wound on to the drying reel 93 directly from the drum 61.

In an alternative construction, the drying reel 93 may be carried by the shaft 55 in lieu of the drum 61. in which case the reel 93 will carry the film during the developing, fixing and washing processes in lieu of the drum 61.

When the reel 93 is used during the developing, fixing and washing processes, in lieu of the drum 61, both the stretching of the film during the developing processes and the shrinking of the film during the drying process are taken care of by the movable dowels 95. I v

I realize that various means have heretofore been provided for developing, fixing and washing motion picture films by what is known as a continuous process Where the film itself moves from one solution to another so that one portion of the film may be in one compartment at the same time that another portion of the film is in another compartment. This process of developing requires complicated and expensive equipment and the use of a large volume of chemical solutions which make the processes impracticable for individual use, or for use other than where a large quantity of films are being developed.

My improved developing apparatus also climb 'nates breakage and injury to the film caused by the strain upon the same in what is known as the continuous process of developing.

I do not claim broadly, means for developing motion picture films in which a plurality of containers for chemical solutions are used or in which a tray containing one solution may be removed and replaced by a tray containing another solution.

What I claim is:

In a motion picture film developing machine, a water tank containing a plurality of chemical selected chemical tray, a movable carriage support for said drumlike film holder, a track for said carriage, and means for raising and lowering said track to permit the moving of the film hold- 10 er from one tray to another.

CUNO BRYANT. 

